baby's first big question

[psocoptera]

Just filled a square on parenting bingo! Singing rounds to Juniper pre-nap, did "I am an acorn" which I hadn't in awhile. Junie, as she does, started echoing bits of it: "gods-hand, gods-hand. ... what's gods-hand?" Well, I said, it's an idea, god's hand would be a place where things are made. "What's god?"

Comments

[rebeccapaul.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! (Music is dangerous in the questions department!)

[jaipur.livejournal.com]

And the answer iiiisss....? Come on, don't leave us hanging! ;)

[psocoptera.livejournal.com]

Oops, didn't mean to leave anyone hanging, just thought I'd cut it off at the "charming anecdote" point and not the "possibly irritating to theists finding this on their friends page" point. I told her that god is a pretend idea, what if there was someone who made the plants and animals and us? Nobody made those things really, but what if? She was pretty tired by this point and said "gods-hand" a few more times and we sidetracked onto what's in mama's hand, which turned out to be her face ::grin::.

("Pretend" isn't quite the right word - I know theists aren't pretending their beliefs - but I don't think the two-year-old theory of mind quite extends to "sincere disagreement" yet.)

[jaipur.livejournal.com]

Ah, you've warped her for life.... ;) I was wondering what you would say to an inquiring 2 year old. (I know what *my* mother said, but that's a whole different culture.) Not a bad choice, given what you're trying to get across. ;)

[orawnzva.livejournal.com]

As someone who is actively using monotheism, polytheism, and atheism to structure my reality on a daily basis, and as a storyteller and enchanter, I think pretend is exactly the right word — if it has become the wrong word, it is only because grownups these days have forgotten how to really pretend. It is absolutely possibly to be able to distinguish between fact and fiction while allowing (well chosen) fictions to have tremendous power (hopefully for good) in our lives. Pretending well makes us better people, including in real life.

I know that's not what everyone believes — I have my own "sincere disagreements" both with those who insist that their mythology (and not anyone else's!) is fact and with those who insist that the kind of pretending we call "religion" is intrinsically harmful and should be stopped.

I know a rabbi you might find it useful to talk with, and I also happen to know she runs a really sweet all-ages Shabbat service...